Decorated vet accused in Dennis store crash to seek help

Tuesday

Aug 27, 2013 at 2:00 AM

The West Yarmouth man who allegedly drove his truck through a West Dennis storefront early Sunday and then fled is a decorated combat veteran who will undergo a neurological evaluation and apply for a recently enacted program that could allow him to seek treatment instead of jail time.

PATRICK CASSIDY

ORLEANS — The West Yarmouth man who allegedly drove his truck through a West Dennis storefront early Sunday and then fled is a decorated combat veteran who will undergo a neurological evaluation and apply for a recently enacted program that could allow him to seek treatment instead of jail time.

Christopher Sprague, 32, rammed his truck through the front of the Tedeschi convenience store at the intersection of routes 28 and 134 at about 12:35 a.m. Sunday, according to police.

Sprague, who is the son of a Yarmouth police officer, then backed out of the building with some difficulty before driving away, Cape and Islands Assistant District Attorney Jessica Croker said during his arraignment Monday in Orleans District Court.

One-third of the Tedeschi building was knocked down and a customer had to jump out of the way to avoid being hit by the truck, she said.

Sprague's lawyer, Peter Lloyd of Barnstable, said his client pleaded not guilty to charges of vandalism to property, leaving the scene of a property damage accident and negligent operation of a motor vehicle.

Although video surveillance from the store did not provide a good view of the driver, the truck's Texas registration was later traced to Sprague, Croker said.

Dennis police followed the trail of debris from the store and alerted Yarmouth police to be on the lookout for the truck, which officers eventually found at 19 Circuit Road East, Croker said.

The truck was covered with insulation, ceiling tiles and broken sheetrock from the store, but when officers confronted Sprague inside the home he denied driving it and said it must have been stolen, Croker said.

Officers found a shirt that matched the description of clothing worn by the driver inside the home and the store clerk identified Sprague as the driver, Croker said. Officers also said his breath smelled of alcohol and his eyes were glassy, she said.

Croker said Sprague had a default on his record and asked Judge Brian Merrick to hold him on $5,000 cash bail and order him not to operate a motor vehicle or consume alcohol or drugs.

"Obviously, given the reports, there are indications he fled the scene to avoid prosecution," Croker said.

Lloyd said he found it interesting that the prosecution considered his client's return to his home in West Yarmouth as fleeing the scene.

"He denied being the driver of the motor vehicle," Lloyd said, adding that Sprague had no memory of crashing into the store and wanted to take out a stolen-vehicle report when the police asked him about it.

Lloyd said that, aside from eight years in the military, Sprague has been a lifelong resident of the area and attended Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School.

He is separated from his wife and served in the 572nd Mobility Augmentation Company, including a 15-month tour in Iraq and a second tour in Afghanistan from December 2010 to September 2011, Lloyd said.

During his tours Sprague was near 21 explosions caused by improvised explosive devices, including two in which he was wounded, Lloyd said.

After the first injury his client spent two weeks recovering in a hospital in Germany and after the second injury he spent more than a year and a half in the hospital, Lloyd said.

Sprague received a Purple Heart for the injuries he sustained in Afghanistan.

In the last explosion Sprague suffered significant injuries, including multiple fractures to his neck and lower back and severe nerve damage that requires he wear a special brace so he can walk, Lloyd said.

Sprague has received treatment at the Veterans Affairs clinic in Hyannis and has seen a psychiatrist and a psychologist, Lloyd said.

Despite his injuries and the treatment, his client has never had a neurological workup, which is clearly needed, Lloyd said.

Lloyd said Sprague wants to apply for a diversion program that includes treatment for veterans facing criminal charges in some circumstances under the state's Valor Act, which was enacted in 2012 to provide opportunities for veterans returning to civilian life.

An expert on post-traumatic stress disorder in veterans said diversion programs such as the one in Massachusetts are preferable to jail time for veterans when possible.

"Those kind of intensive programs can be of real help," said Dr. Harry Croft, a Texas-based psychiatrist who has evaluated more than 7,000 veterans with PTSD. "He's not a criminal. He may even be a hero."

The program should be coupled with probation or something similar to hold the participating veteran accountable so he continues with treatment, Croft said.

PTSD is the mind's and body's way of trying to keep the body safe when there's a threat, he said.

"It continues to persist at times when there's no threat or harm going on," he said, adding that it is sometimes difficult to convince veterans to talk about the very things they would rather avoid.

Although he couldn't say for certain what had occurred in Sprague's case, Croft said PTSD and TBI are not generally the cause of the type of behavior exhibited Sunday morning in West Dennis.

"Somebody might get angry because of PTSD, but they usually don't punch people out or run their cars through plate-glass windows unless they are compromised by drugs or alcohol," he said. "The two can be a deadly combination."

Merrick set bail at $500, as requested by Lloyd, and ordered that Sprague be assessed for possible participation in the Valor Act diversion program. In addition, Sprague should not operate a motor vehicle or drink alcohol while the case is pending, Merrick said.

Dressed in a plaid shirt and blue slacks, Sprague said only "yes sir" when prompted by the judge for a response during the hearing.

A pretrial conference was scheduled for Sept. 26.

After the arraignment Yarmouth Deputy Police Chief Steven Xiarhos, who sat with Sprague during the first part of the day, said the department simply wanted to express its support for him as a veteran and for his family, which includes the department's evidence and records officer, Al Sprague.

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